December 5, 19 14 
LAND AND WATER 
as the Boers opened upon us with their Long Toms." " I 
expect they didn't hke \()ur singing?" interpolated a 
comrade. " Maybe we didn't like theirs. However, we 
replied with our 47 guns, and after a while they stopped 
and we continued the service. The funniest part was singing 
Christmas hymns under a blazing sun. Well, we are not 
likely to suffer from sunstroke this Christmas. Never mind, 
we shall get some skating, and with the floods out in Belgium 
we ought to have some good sport." " How shall we get 
skates ? " inquired 
another. " Why, 
you fathead, there 
will be plenty of 
skates in Belgium ; 
wecanbegoT; 
borrow them, I 
suppose." 
" Well, what 
do you say to ice- 
hockey ? We can 
always cut sticks." 
In a moment all 
were discussing the 
merits of this popu- 
lar game. So the 
reader will perceive 
our men at the 
front are already 
well in hand with 
their preparations 
forChristmas cheer. 
We hear much of 
the horror and 
gruesomeness of 
war, but there is a 
big side which is 
bright, appealing to 
man's best All the 
wounded I talked 
to out there were, 
without exception, 
an.xious to get into 
the firing line again. 
The British Tommy 
can growl at times, 
l)ut his grievances 
disappear on the 
battle - field. He 
stares hard into the 
future, he is an 
jirdent optimist, 
and in the future 
he sees hope and 
/)lenty of happi- 
ness. It is mu< li 
more depressing in 
London than in 
camp where the 
thunder of guns is 
constant. 
" Of course, 
we must have a 
Vule log, seein' as 
how we shall not 
have a blisterin' 
sun," is the con- 
tribution of a cor- 
poral. A sergeant 
liumorously sug- 
gested that we 
might have York 
Minster sent over 
for the Christmas Day service. He belongs to a Yorkshire 
regiment. A man in a Kent regiment said : " Give me 
Canterbury," and a debate followed on the respective merits 
of the two cathedrals. It suffered from the fact that the one 
man had only seen York, and the other had never seen any 
other cathedral except Canterbury and Kheims. 
Letters and ncws])apers from home have told our men 
at the front what is being sent out to them, and the transport 
department is making a special effort to deal -with the 
Christmas traffic in order that the men shall have their 
parcels for the day. The French are generous, and already 
the headquarters' staff of General Joffre has invited presents 
of poultry for French and English alike. There will be a 
ready response. I can speak from actual experience of the 
generosity to British troops. The French give of their best, 
and give without stint. Some English troops I saw were 
Copyright, Central News 
frying some potatoes and onions in an old meat tin, and most 
appetising it smelt. They have been long enough in the 
field to know how to make the best of things, and without 
tlie latest in cooking utensils they will be able to make up a 
fairly attractive Christmas dinner. The French President 
has appealed also for wine. In France, of course, it is part 
of the soldiers' food. It is verj' good, pure, and cheap, and 
the French soldiers are recommended to drink it in preference 
to water, which is not always pure with dead horses and 
even dead men 
lying about. " We 
had to skim the 
green stuff off the 
top," said a guards- 
man who had got 
hold of water of a 
kind. What you 
would throw away 
without hesitation 
at home you looked 
at more than twice 
when on active ser- 
vice. " We shall 
not want fly-papers 
served out with 
rations on Christ- 
mas Day, like as 
we had in Lady- 
smith during the 
South African 
War," observed a 
non - commissioned 
officer. " We have 
to take the rough 
with the smooth," 
was his philosophy. 
The conditions 
at the front are 
not such as to work 
together for a 
happy Christmas, 
but all the eh'ments 
of comradeship, 
cheerincss, good- 
w i 1 1 — ^i u s t the 
things that go to 
make happiiuss— 
they are all there. 
There the men will 
have their sing- 
songs. Christinas 
carols arc popular 
in barracks, so one 
of the chaplains 
told nie.and I know 
one regiment where 
the men propose to 
serenade thcoflicers 
on Christmas Day. 
" That is unless we 
are otherwise en- 
gaged," he added. 
Brave hearts ! Gcd 
bless them. If 
England forgets 
her soldiers after 
this war she will 
deser\'e to have her 
name blotted out 
from the Councils 
of the Nations. 
GUARDING THE LINE IN FRANCE 
What are jrou goiDg to tend them (or Christmas ? 
V 
AMUSEMENTS 
IS 1 TORS to London during the Christmas holidays 
should not negh st the London theatres, for there are 
many things ai present staged which will be well 
worth a visit. Notably among these may be mentioned the 
production of " Henry IV'., Part I.," at His Majesty's. 
" Mameena " still attracts large audiences at the Globe 
Theatre, where Oscar ."Xsche and Lily Brayton have a fine 
Zulu spectacular play : whilst the quaint humour of the 
.■\merican-German gentlemen, Messrs. " Potash and Perl- 
mutter," is drawing good houses at the Queen's Theatre. 
Among the notaiile revivals should be mentioned " His 
House in Order " at the St. James's, whilst the Vaudeville 
Theatre has staged that evergreen and celebrated comedy 
by H. J. Byron, " Our Boys." 
I'Q 
